Prices at 13 hospitals in Philadelphia, PA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,316 — 3% above the US median ($1,278), roughly 4.6× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nazareth Hospital | Philadelphia, PA | $225 | $47 | ★ 2/5 | 222 min | — |
| Roxborough Memorial Hospital | Philadelphia, PA | $927 | $974 | ★ 2/5 | 186 min | — |
| Jefferson Health-Northeast | Philadelphia, PA | $1,024 | $168 | ★ 2/5 | 316 min | — |
| Thomas Jefferson University Hospital | Philadelphia, PA | $1,072 | $1,607 | ★ 3/5 | 236 min | — |
| Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital | Philadelphia, PA | $1,099 | $1,041 | ★ 3/5 | 268 min | — |
| St Christopher's Hospital for Children | Philadelphia, PA | $1,316 | $695 | — | — | — |
| Hospital of Univ of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | $2,325 | $1,163 | ★ 5/5 | 290 min | — |
| Penn Presbyterian Medical Center | Philadelphia, PA | $2,346 | $1,173 | ★ 4/5 | 326 min | — |
| Philadelphia VA Medical Center | Philadelphia, PA | $4,131 | $2,479 | ★ 5/5 | — | — |
| Children's Hospital of Philadelphia | Philadelphia, PA | $4,131 | $2,479 | — | — | — |
| Pennsylvania Hospital | Philadelphia, PA | $6,891 | $2,756 | ★ 4/5 | 280 min | — |
CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. Data last updated October 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.
Price comparison (median)
Typical cash price here is $1,316 — about 4.6× the Medicare rate ($284). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($568).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $3,382 list price could save about $2,066 (61%).
Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.
Doctors who perform this in Philadelphia
Clinicians who reported the most Medicare volume for this service locally. This reflects Original Medicare activity only and is a volume signal, not a quality ranking.
| Clinician | Specialty | Location | Medicare services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bhavik Patel, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Philadelphia, PA | 107 |
| Derek Lee, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Philadelphia, PA | 73 |
| Shane Lee, MD | Interventional Radiology | Philadelphia, PA | 70 |
| Jared Meshekow, M.D., M.P.H. | Interventional Radiology | Philadelphia, PA | 68 |
| Mark Allan, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Philadelphia, PA | 64 |
| Dmitry Niman, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Philadelphia, PA | 59 |
| Brian Bianco, D.O. | Interventional Radiology | Philadelphia, PA | 59 |
| Joseph Panaro, MD | Interventional Radiology | Philadelphia, PA | 57 |
| Matthew Callaghan, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Philadelphia, PA | 54 |
| Adam Kerestes, DO | Diagnostic Radiology | Philadelphia, PA | 54 |
| Richard Shlansky-Goldberg, MD | Interventional Radiology | Philadelphia, PA | 51 |
| Stephan Leung | Interventional Radiology | Philadelphia, PA | 44 |
All Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) prices in Pennsylvania → · All Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) prices (national) · All hospitals in Philadelphia